Beni Lawson
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
School of Architecture
Treehouse—Consequences of Your Actions. Throughout history, humanity, especially the United States, has perpetuated an extractive relationship with the Earth. Although certain cultures have embraced a flat ontology and fostered mutualism, humanity as a whole is moving away from this approach. This collage challenges past societal actions and explores future possibilities. “Consequences of Your Actions” interrogates disinvestment cycles and aims to catalyze reinvestment that creates an environment conducive to the well-being of future generations. © Beni Lawson.
Jury
Monica Chada
Andrew Santa Lucia
Stephen Slaughter
Robert L. Wesley (Chair)
I see my future as a period characterized by both a commitment to my community and architectural creativity. The Robert L. Wesley Award allows me to focus on the aforementioned by pairing me with a mentor whilst also alleviating financial burdens. It motivates me to know the work I do is appreciated by both the community and industry.
One Roof—Floor Plan. One Roof aims to mend the shattered educational conditions in the Sub-Saharan region. A central courtyard, inspired by vernacular architecture, connects home and school, accentuated by a playful mango tree with a recycled tire swing. Careful placement of the sickroom ensures shade from a baobab tree and provides a dedicated entrance for sick students, away from the main commotion. The adapted primary school costs well under the €70,000 budget, allowing for extra features like a soccer field, embodying both functionality and affordability. Overall, a communal anchor moors; providing well-being to those who inhabit it, flexibility for those who use it, and the foundation for students to excel. © Beni Lawson.
One Roof—Detail Perspective Section. Minimalist solutions are provided to the existing primary school by matching material choices to the design language of southern Senegalese villages: thatched roofs, bamboo fences, and laterite bricks. Recognizing the tides of time, One Roof employs materials that can be re-purposed, reused, and recycled as local advancements inevitably ensue. The school’s main programming is sheltered under a sloped thatch and bamboo-grid roof, a combination second-nature to the Baghére-Bakidioto region. Circular roofs of southern Senegalese rural houses are reinterpreted and unwrapped into a mono-pitched roof. Climatic comfort reigns chief as the thick thatch roof works in tandem with the 1-meter false roof. The perforated brick openings assist the aforementioned elements in promoting year-round ventilation. The ambulatory creates interstitial spaces for students to congregate pre-/postinstruction whilst simultaneously preventing direct sunlight from overheating the main massing. © Beni Lawson.
During our frequent interactions, I have found Beni to be a passionate, mature, eloquent, and articulate student leader who is capable of thinking and producing at the highest academic levels. While his intellectual possibilities are commendable, Beni’s conceptual grasp will allow him to successfully navigate the disciplinary challenges posed by the uncharted territories of today’s practice panorama.
Francisco Javier Rodríguez-Suárez, Director, School of Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Treehouse—Architecture Annex Intervention. The tree silhouette juxtaposes the building’s symbolic solidity with its abstract form, generating a dynamic tension. Mimicking the surrounding nature, the “Tree” aims to enhance the interior experience both visually and atmospherically. Cantilevered study spaces, oriented to optimize light and sunset views, further enrich the building’s functionality. Repurposing previously neglected areas into versatile spaces like studios, kitchens, and meeting rooms maximizes the building’s potential. © Beni Lawson.
Scramble—In creating a meal for a hundred people, Scramble cultivates a space that encourages individuals to be comfortable enough to be vulnerable and fragile in order to foster meaningful connections. Designed to be modular, Scramble interprets formal qualities of an egg and deconstructs them into eating, sitting, and relaxation spaces. The tables are cut in fourths with 45-degree angles, allowing for an array of configurations. These different modules allow individuals to dictate the size of their dining group. Egg-shaped chairs with a distinct curvaceous and enveloping form create a cozy, cocoon-like seating experience. Through this, the comfort needed to be fragile and open with strangers is supplied. The area is populated with modular pods allowing inhabitants to shelter themselves in small groups; therefore, cultivating new meaningful and intimate connections among strangers. Embracing the frenzied and chaotic nature that can ensue when 100 strangers congregate, Scramble translates the abstract qualities of an egg into a free and open plan. © Beni Lawson.
Beni Lawson
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
School of Architecture
Beni Lawson
is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies and a minor degree in Informatics. Currently, Lawson is the President of the American Institute of Architecture Students chapter at UIUC, the President of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students chapter at UIUC, and the Class of 2025 Student Representative on the Architecture Student Advisory Council. His work and architectural interests deal with broader issues of extraction, both material and temporal extraction, as well as topics involving the future of computational application in architecture.